After weeks of a constant stream of bad news over players' fitness for the New Zealand series, Stuart Lancaster finally had something to cheer him with Mike Brown saying he expects to be fit in time for the first Test on June 7.

Brown suffered a hip injury during last weekend's Premiership semi-final and initial reports suggested he would miss the opening Test, a game where an already weakened England said will be even more bereft of players because of the unavailability of those taking part in the Premiership final.

"It's feeling good," Brown told the BBC. "On Monday I'll be ready to train and it's looking good for the first Test."

Last night it was all but confirmed that George Ford would miss the trip and will undergo an operation on his shoulder after Friday's Amlin Cup final. This would further increase the chances of a recall for Danny Cipriani who will be competing with Freddie Burns for the fly-half spot.